With an ever more burdensome regulatory environment and increasing aircraft congestion, pilots face a steady increase in workload while flying. This is particularly so during stressful situations during adverse weather conditions, equipment casualties, and other abnormal situations that may occur aboard the aircraft from time to time.
In an attempt to alleviate increasing workload levels, engineers have introduced increasingly complex human machine interfaces (HMI). Such efforts have increased the number of interface devices in the cockpit, have added visual and audible alarms, and have placed more information onto existing user interfaces (UI). However, those UIs are modified in that information is replaced, deleted or and/or the graphical presentation is otherwise materially altered. Particularly in times of stress, altering a UI introduces an additional confusion factor as the pilot is then required to notice the altered presentation, determine the new location of any needed information needed and then verify that he has identified the correct information.
Conversely, pilot boredom is experienced in the cockpit during uneventful cruise segments of the flight plan that may cause pilots to become inattentive or become drowsy. Overly automated systems contribute to the monotony. During such periods, it may be desirable to balance the workload of the pilot improved pilot performance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to optimize the workload of a pilot during both stressful periods and calm periods. In addition, it is desirable to adjust the workload without materially disturbing a pilot's accustomed cockpit display configuration. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.